Ruston Webster talks QBs and more

Titans general manager Ruston Webster admitted on Tuesday morning the decision to part ways with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck wasn’t an easy one, but it satisfied both parties.

The Titans signed former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on Monday night after releasing Hasselbeck, who signed with the Colts. The Titans and Hasselbeck had tried to work out a restructured contract.

Webster talked to PFT Live from the owners meetings in Phoenix this morning.

“Initially, when Matt came to Tennessee, he was going to be the starter and things have changed. Jake Locker is our starter and we tried to work something out with Matt and weren’t able to do that,’’ Webster said. “It was kind of mutual (decision) between the both of us that we would let him go. … We just felt like it was best for both parties and we are happy to get Ryan Fitzpatrick. He’ll do a great job in that role as a back-up to Jake Locker.”

Other topics Webster discussed on PFT Live:

On the decision to pay Chris Johnson $10 million for 2013: “We covered all of our bases and talked about everything and just figured the best decision for us was to keep Chris and move forward. He is really our most dynamic player, and just add pieces around him and make him better through the other guys on the team.”

On Kenny Britt’s future with the Titans: “The goal is for him to play well for us this year. He is a year off the ACL, and he has been rehabbing, and working hard and the hope is he’ll be back to the old Kenny Britt. We’ll see where it goes from here. It has been a tough run for Kenny with the off-the-field things, as well as injuries, but hopefully we’ll have one smooth year with him.”

On how close the Titans were to getting wideout Wes Welker, who signed with Denver: “Other than some preliminary talks, I don’t think it ever got serious.”

On if the Titans are looking at upgrading the pass rush with defensive ends in free agency: “It’s always a possibility. I think the one thing we have to do is improve on every level of our defense and not just our pass rush. I think we got better pass-rush wise as we kind of tweaked our scheme as the year went on and actually finished pretty high in sacks. We’ve added Gregg Williams to our staff and he will add some great knowledge to the defense. … I wouldn’t rule it out, but it’s probably not a big priority either.”

On the sense of urgency, and expectation level, from owner Bud Adams: “I think he wants to win. He is 90 years old and I think that ratchets everything up. But every year you are kind of on the block in this league now. We’ll see what happens but he wants to win. He has allowed us to go out and be aggressive in free agency which we did, and he’ll want us to do well in the draft and put a good product on the field.”